Despite Obama's fall in the polls he is much more popular than Bush was and the lastest survey even shows people still much prefer him to Bush. So why is the GOP new "Pledge For America" a return to the Bush year policies?

The pledge, their master plan for America, does not reduce the deficit and is mostly pages of platitudes.

It said it was developed from ideas posted on a website set up this Summer for citizens yet they have explicitly rejected the most popular idea - quit providing tax breaks to companies that outsource jobs and promote jobs in America. Nope, no way say Republican leaders.

The most detailed proposals are on health care where they vow to repeal the Democrats health care plan and replace it with - the Democratic health care plan. The proposals they list are already in the existing plan. If they do repeal the health care plan they don't explain how they replace the $140 billion in deficit reduction the plan provides.

They vow to cut taxes, while ignoring the rise in the deficit that will cause.

Republicans can't govern, they just have experts in marketing from Wall Street. Eventually their empty promises will catch up with them. To answer the question poised at the beginning, they want to return to Bush policies despite their unpopularity and the economic collapse they caused because they have no new ideas.

Here's just a short list of some of the bills that Republicans have blocked, or attempted to block, since Obama became President:

* Senator Franken’s Anti-Rape Amendment to the Defense Appropriations Bill - Makes it so that women raped overseas while working for foreign contractors have the right to have their case heard in an American court instead of having their case mediated by the company they work for. Only Republican men voted against this, but it passed.

* Health Care - Prevents insurance companies from discriminating against you on the basis of "pre-existing conditions". Requires that insurance companies spend 85 cents of every dollar that you pay on your actual health care. Limits health insurance companies profit margins. Republicans blocked this for months before it finally passed.

* Health Care for the 9/11 First Responders who got sick from being at Ground Zero- Would provide billions of dollars in health care to help the 9/11 First Responders who were at Ground Zero on 9/11 and are now sick because of it. Republicans blocked this.

* The Jobs Bill- Offsets the payroll tax for 1 year for companies that hire new employees, or people receiving unemployment insurance. Also gives other tax incentives to companies hiring new employees. Republicans attempted to block this. Small business lending bill- would give LOCAL, community banks access to billions of dollars to loan to small businesses. Republicans blocked this.

* Stimulus Bill - Pumped billions of dollars into state and local governments to prevent us from sinking into a second Great Depression. Republicans opposed this but now want to take credit for the parts of it that we know are successful or the spending in their districts.

* Oil Spill Liability - Raises the liability on what companies can be made to pay to clean up after an oil spill. Republicans blocked this. Political Ad disclosure bill- Would have required all donors to political campaigns to reveal themselves. Republicans blocked this.

* Immigration - Republican suggested comprehensive immigration reform until Obama supported it. Now they're rabidly opposed to it and even voted against their own legislation. Republicans blocked this.

* Unemployment Extension - Would provide additional aid to the millions of Americans still on unemployment who are just trying to support themselves and their familes. Republicans blocked this bill for 8 weeks before it finally passed. Republicans blocked this for 8 weeks before it finally passed.

* Fair Pay Act of 2009 - Also called the Lily Ledbetter bill. Requires that women receive equal compensation to men for doing the same work. Republicans attempted to block this.

**** The next time someone tells you that the Republicans care about the American people just give them this list of all the bills Republicans wanted to fail. ****

This is a newer edition of something that has been out there for years.

You usually see charts analyzing income growth under Democratic Presidents versus Republican Presidents and conservatives always respond it is Congress that passes economic and tax policies. This chart does two things, it splits it up by income category and by what branches the parties control.

Click for larger image.

It is obvious the GOP governs to benefit the rich either not caring or mistakenly thinking that benefits everyone. That is wrong. They don't even do as good a job benefiting the rich.

The second response I always get from conservatives is it is a coincidence because government doesn't affect income growth. LOL!!! Remember that when they say Democrats are bad for your pocket book and show them this chart.

There are other charts out there with analysis of other parts of the economy and even government job growth and debt levels and pretty much anything you can shake a stick at. The bottom line is that Republicans don't govern well when they are in control, they don't even meet their stated goals of reducing debt and the size of government. The best thing they do is direct government money to their cronies and tax cuts for the rich, who save it instead of creating jobs. Savings does not create job, creating demand does.